Researching the Shaw Family Tree

Dig into the past of the Shaw Family History using the links below.
We hope you find this information useful whilst you are unearthing your Shaw Genealogy !

Did you know that in the 1881 UK census there were 55011 people with the Shaw surname? In that year Shaw was ranked number 49 for popularity in the UK.

New to Family History? Check out our Getting Started page.
Check out House Of Names to investigate the origins of the
Shaw surname or get a copy of the Shaw family Crest (a great gift idea!).

Shaw records on Ancestry

Ancestry is a major source of information if you are filling out your Shaw family tree. A vast range of data is available to search ranging from census records, births, deaths and marriages, military records and immigration records to name but a few. Free trials are normally available and are a good way to fill out a lot of your tree quickly.

DNA

Sometimes you can run into a brick wall in your tree and you just don't have enough evidence to make that next step back in time. A DNA test can sometimes help to make a link to a particular family name if you find you share common DNA with people who have the same or similar surnames as each other. If you are lucky then you may get a match within a few generations and discover some Shaw ancestors. Additionally, the modern DNA test can give you a breakdown of your ethnic mix - you may be surprised at the results!

Birth, Death and Marriage Records for the Shaw Family Tree

Birth, Death and Marriage records are often the best method of making the links to the Shaw Genealogy that will form part of your family tree. Although records vary from country to country, they are normally the most formal record of a person's relations. From the sources listed below it will be possible to locate a birth record and, from that record, a birth certificate may be obtainable which is likely to list the names of the parents, therefore taking you back another generation. A marriage certificate may also list the names of the respective fathers of the bride and groom which may then help you to find them earlier in life on a census record enabling you to fill out more detail in the Shaw family tree.

View the distribution of the Shaw surname in Britain using the
public profiler Names database. The public profiler Names database contains distributions for
the Shaw surname in both 1881 and 1998. It also contains data on the ethnicity breakdown of the Shaw surname.

Comments

Looking for information on a Shaw in your family tree? Why not post a question here -

Robert Archibald Shaw (9 August 192728 August 1978) was an English stage and film actor and novelist, remembered for his performances in "The Sting", "From Russia with Love", "A Man for All Seasons", the original "The Taking of Pelham One Two Three" (1974), and "Jaws", where he played the working-class fisherman Quint.

Robert Shaw (April 30, 1916 ? January 25, 1999) was an American conductor most famous for his work with his namesake Chorale, with the Cleveland Orchestra and Chorus, and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus.

Major General Hugh Shaw VC, CB (Madras 4 February 1839 - Southsea 25 August 1904) was a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

Same (John) Shaw VC (?- 27 December 1859) was a Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

Dame Flora Louisa Shaw, Lady Lugard, DBE (born 1852, Woolwich, England, UK - died 25 January 1929, Surrey, England, UK), the daughter of an English father, Captain (later Major General) George Shaw and a French mother, Marie Desfontaines, was a British journalist and writer.

Hayden Jonathan Shaw (born August 31, 1980 in Christchurch) is a field hockey player from New Zealand, who earned his first cap for the national team, nicknamed "The Black Sticks", in 2002 against Australia.

Bradley Shaw (born February 13, 1983 in Christchurch) is a field hockey player from New Zealand, who earned his first cap for the national team, nicknamed "The Black Sticks", in 2004 at the Champions Trophy against The Netherlands.

Captain Sir Eyre Massey Shaw (1830?1908) was the Superintendent of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade (now renamed the London Fire Brigade), and its predecessor, the London Fire Engine Establishment, from 1861 to 1891.

Royston Henry Shaw (born 11 March 1936 in Stepney, London), also known as Roy "Pretty Boy" Shaw, Roy "Mean Machine" Shaw and Roy West, is an English millionaire, real estate investor, author and businessman from the East End of London who was formerly a notorious criminal and Category A prisoner.

David Shaw (January 4, 1943 ? August 1, 2005) was an American journalist who was best known for his reporting for the "Los Angeles Times", where he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 1991.

Thomas Shaw (died June 23, 1895) was a Buffalo Soldier in the United States Army and a recipient of America's highest military decoration?the Medal of Honor?for his actions in the Indian Wars of the western United States.

Harold Lamar Shaw (born September 3, 1974 in Magee, Mississippi) is a professional American football fullback and occasional linebacker with the New England Surge of the Continental Indoor Football League.

Kenneth Edward "Pete" Shaw (born August 25, 1954 in Newark, New Jersey) is a former American football safety who played eight seasons in the National Football League for the San Diego Chargers and the New York Giants.

Mona "The Hammer" Shaw is an elderly Bristow, Virginia resident who rose to national media celebrity in August 2007 when she registered her discontent with Comcast customer service by smashing equipment in her local cable office with a hammer.

George Edward Shaw (born 13 October 1899 in Swinton, South Yorkshire) was an English professional footballer who played for Doncaster Rovers, Gillingham, Huddersfield Town, West Bromwich Albion, Stalybridge Celtic, Worcester City and Floriana.

William Shaw (4 May 1823?19 September 1895) was an Irish Protestant nationalist politician, MP in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and one of the founders of the Irish home rule movement.

Thomas Frederick "Fred" Shaw (27 March 1909 ? 1994) was an English professional footballer who scored 23 goals in 94 appearances in the Football League playing for Birmingham, Notts County, Mansfield Town and Bournemouth & Boscombe Atletic.

Melville James Shaw (August 6, 1872?May 16, 927) was an American officer born in at Minnesota and serving in the United States Marine Corps during the Spanish-American War who was one of 23 Marine Corps officers approved to receive the Marine Corps Brevet Medal for bravery.